Dive Watch Releases / Articles

2010-02-10

From LUMINOX Luminox has been the watch of choice for professionals like Navy SEAL's, Scuba legend Stan Waterman, the US Coast Guard, law enforcement divers and more. After 20 years of making 200 meter water resistant watches, Luminox is proud to introduce its 50 bar (500 meter / 1500 feet) Deep Dive series, a serious, certified watch for use by professionals, complying with the strict and extremely high standards of ISO 6425 for Diving watches.

LUMINOX GOES DEEP Most 'water resistant' watches are designed for the occasional and relatively short periods of time immersed in water. Unlike these types of watches, Luminox’ Deep Dive is a serious dive watch, designed and constructed for the use by professional divers, taking their watches to the deepest depths when doing their jobs, with all the attributes a true diving watch needs, including:

* Water resistant to 500 meters /50 bar* A unique, patent pending Bezel Locking System (BLS), that also serves to protect the crown

500 METERS Why 500 Meters Water Resistance? Many companies make watches with 200 meters water resistance, but 500 meters / 50bar is much more challenging and as a result separates the Deep Dive Luminox from the pack. The sapphire crystal must be more than twice as thick as on a 200 meter watch (3.00 mm), as well as the caseback (3.00 mm). Steel deforms at 50 bar pressure, so the overall case construction has to be much more robust and rugged.

ISO How was the Deep Dive tested under Norm ISO 6425? Special tests are done under Norm ISO 6425 that regular, non-dive certified watches do not have to undergo. Each watch must be submerged in water, at 62.5bar (equivalent to a pressure at 625 meters depth, which is 25% more then the stated 50 bar on the watch, for security reasons) for two hours and then for one hour at 0.3 bar, before and after which the watch is tested for condensation. The entire water resistant testing procedure takes 3.5 hours for just 24 watches, showing the intensity of these tests.

For a professional diving watch, it is critical and even can be the difference between life and death that the time is visible in any and all conditions, be it night diving, deep diving, diving in poor visibility or wreck diving. The Luminox Light Technology (LLT) ensures easy and immediate readability, and is always visible, constantly glowing for up to 25 years. The tiny micro gas light glass tubes that guarantee constant visibility glow blue on the Deep Dive series, as blue is the last color that the eyes register as one goes deeper and deeper under water.

In addition, the Deep Dive features different color of LLT’s at the 12 O’clock position of the dial as well as on the rotating bezel, so the diver can rely on the correct dive time when looking at his Luminox watch. The minute hand, being highly important to divers, is equipped with a double-LLT for easy readings even in darkness.

In addition, as per the strict requirements of ISO 6425, a random selection of Deep Dive watches had to undergo further tests which can be tested in specialized laboratory only, such as:* Salt water tests, where the watch is submerged in salt water for 24 hoursThermal shock tests* Buckle and strap attachments are tested to make sure that the watch will not accidentally release* Visibility tests in darkness (which of course are easy to pass for Luminox watches, as they all are using the LLT Luminox Light Technology)* Anti-magnetic tests under norm ISO 764* Shock tests under norm ISO 1413* Resistance of crown and other external devices against shocks

HEV Why the automatic Helium Release Valve? During prolonged dives in pressurized environments (like diving bells, deep sea exploration vessels and more) which use a helium-rich air mixture, tiny helium molecules can get inside the watch. If decompression stops during ascent are not long enough, the gas in the watch doesn’t have time to release and the pressure which builds up can damage the watch. With Luminox's automatic helium release valve, excess pressure is released automatically through a one-way valve, protecting the watch.

BEZEL Why the Special Locking Rotating Bezel? The patent pending Luminox Bezel Locking System prevents the bezel from changing position. Sure, a unidirectional bezel is great, but if knocked, it could be moved and indicating less time under water. But divers want to stay down as long as they safely can. This newly invented Bezel Locking System ensures that the time the divers set with their turning bezel will stay set, and is easily accomplished by simply locking the crown protector into position.

This special 45mm watch is produced in limited quantities, as more tests are done and more time is required during the production process, with each watch individually numbered. Special touches abound, from the diving helmet stamped on the caseback to the tang of the buckle, inspired by the trident of Neptune. All these great features signify that this is indeed a serious diving watch. In addition, the watch comes in a specially-designed, water resistant gift box which can be used to store e.g. the diver’s mobile phone, camera or other personal gear safely on a rough sea.